Israeli Occupation claims assassination of multiple resistance leaders in Gaza

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) claimed on Friday that it had successfully targeted and assassinated several high-ranking members of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza.

According to the IOF, the strikes resulted in the deaths of key figures, including a commander from Hamas' Elite Unit and another senior Hamas leader in northern Gaza.

In a statement, the IOF identified two of the slain Hamas figures as Jihad Mahmoud Yahya Kahlout and Muhammad Riyad Ali Okel, who were reportedly killed in a targeted operation in Beit Lahiya, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

Additionally, the IOF claimed responsibility for the killing of Anas Jalal Muhammad Abu Shakian, a commander in the battalion responsible for the attack on Kibbutz Mefalsim on October 7. Alongside Abu Shaqian, Noor Al-Din Abu Al-Jadyan, a member of Hamas' elite forces, and Sahib Hassan Ali Maser Al-Daeem, another key fighter, were also reportedly killed in the same operation.

The IOF further stated that it had targeted and killed Khalid Abu Daqqa, the PIJ's commander of the rocket unit, during an airstrike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, earlier this week. The airstrike was said to be part of ongoing operations aimed at dismantling militant infrastructure in the region.